Latch mechanism for folding body supports on baby carriage chassis



J. A. MAHR 2.200.889

LATCH MECHANISM FOR FOLDING BODY SUPPORTS ON BABY CARRIAGE CHASSIS May 14, 1940.

Filed July 20, 1959 Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED stares LATCH MECHANISM FOR FOLDING BODY SUPPORTS UN BABY CARRIAGE CHASSIS Julius Andrew Mans, 'Minneapolis, Minn, assignmto Inventors Patent Holding Company, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of South Dakota Application Julytfl, 1939, Serial-No. 285,541

10 Claims.

My present invention relates to improvements in baby carriages having a folding chassis and bassinet or body supports, and more particularly,

the invention relates to latch mechanism for holding the body supports inoperative positions.

Considerable difliculty has been experienced in latches or latch mechanism for holding body sup ports relative to a folding baby-carriage chassis,

for-the reason that unless certain predescribed movements of the body supports, relative to the opening and closing of the chassis, were'followed, the latch mechanism would intercept such movements, with the result that certain parts of the chassis or body supports were either broken or bent in attempting to move the body supports relative to the chassis.

The principalobject of this invention is to provide an extremely simple and highly eflicient latch mechanism that will not interfere with the movements of the body supports relative to the chassis, irrespective of the order in which the movements of the body supports are made relative to the chassis during folding or unfolding thereof.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, reference bein had to the accompanying drawing.

To the above end, the invention consists of the noveldevices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a baby carriage chassis and body supports having the invention embodied therein, some parts being removed and other parts being shown in different positions by means of broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, with some parts shown in different posi tions by means of broken lines;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the rear latch mechanism and associated parts of the chassis and body support;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in side elevation and partly in section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4, with the exception that the body support is partly folded; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view in section taken on the line 6-4 of Fig. 4.

The baby carriage chassis includes a pair of 55 parallel longitudinal tubular; side bars 8, each of which has front and rear stub axles 9 rigidly fixed thereto and projecting outwardly therefrom. Wheels It are journaled on the axles 9. The end portions: of each side bar 8, "outwardly of the axles 9, are turned upwardly and outwardly in diverging relation and afford joint members ll. Each joint member I l is in the form of a channel that is U-shape in cross-section.

A bassinet or body support 12, at each end of the chassis, comprises a pair of tubular bars l3, in upwardly converging relation, and a handle member It. The bars l3, at their lower end portions, extend into the joint members II, at the respective end of the chassis, and are connected to the sides thereof by pivot pins 15. Said pivot pins -5 hold the body supports l2 for folding movements onto the -chassis,as shown by broken lines in Fig. 1.

To permit folding movement of the body supports E2, the joint members H, at their backs,

are notched at 15, and the faces of said joint members are open to permit movement of the bars it, below the pivots l5, into and out of the joint members H. The joint members Ii hold the bars 13 aligned movement in all "directions except through the open faces of said members when the latches 26 are released. The body supports it! are stopped upon reaching their operative positions during unfolding thereof by the engagement of the low or end portions of the bars 13 with the backs of the joint members H.

The chassis further includes toggle joints N that afford the end members thereof and indirectly connect the side bars 8. The members of the toggle joints H, at their outer ends, are contherewith and against lateral nected by pivot pins I8 to the bars l3"below the pivot pins It. These toggle joints H are arranged to fold upwardly, substantially in the planes of the body supports [2, and thereby fold the chassis, as shown by broken lines in Fig. '1. One of the members of each toggle-joint ll, atits inner end portion, is extended beyond the pivot to connecting the members' of said toggle joint and cfiset over the other of said members t afford a stop log 20, Thisstop lug 2D is arranged to position the pivot I 9 slightly below a dead center and thereby prevents the toggle-joint I! from folding accidentally.

Each handlemember I4 is formed of a single round rod bent to form a horizontally elongated loop in the plane of the respective pair of bars l3. The end portions of the rod forming the handie member 44, (are on the underside of said member at the longitudinal center thereof, and

bent downwardly to afford a pair of hinge members 2|. The bars It, at their upper ends, are

connected by pivots 22 to the hinge members 2i and permit the required folding movement of face of the respective joint member ll.

said bars.

A girdle 23 of sheet metal surrounds the hinge members 2| and the connected end portions of the bars l3, and is rigidly secured to said memhere by welding or otherwise. A wooden handlebar 26 is secured to the rear handle member [4. Hooks 25 on the girdle 23 are provided for holding a bassinet or body, not shown, suspended therefrom.

A pair of latches 29 or latch mechanismis provided for holding each body support I2 in an operative position relative to the chassis, and

each latch of said pair holds one of the respective bars l3. Each latch 26 includes a fiat lock bolt 27 slidably mounted in a U-shaped keeper member 28 which extends transversely across the open sides of the keeper members 28 are in the planes of the sides of the joint members H and are formed as parts thereof. The lock-bolt 27 is further held for straight line endwise sliding movement by a thimble-like spring cap 29 slidably mounted in the respective joint member I I. This spring cap 29 is rigidly secured to the back of the lock bolt 27, at the longitudinal and transverse centers thereof. A coiled spring 30 is compressed between the spring cap 29 and the closed lower end of the joint member I l.

The lock-bolts 27 of each pair, at their upper end portions, extend in front of the lower end portions of the bars 13 of the respective body support 52, and hold the same from turning on the pivots 15. These look bolts 2'! normally engage the lower longitudinal edges of the members of the toggle-joint l7, directly below the pivot pins I8, as stops to limit the spring-projected movements of said lock bolts. On the lower ends of the lock bolts 21 are stop flanges 3! arranged to engage the keeper members 28 and limit the projecting movements of the lock bolts 21 when I the body supports l2 are folded, as shown in Fig. 6. The lower ends of the bars l3, at the backs thereof, are beveled to afford cam surfaces 52 arranged to engage the lock bolts 21, during movement of the body supports l2 into operative position, and move said lock bolts 21 against the tension of the springs 30, out of the paths of movement of said bar's I3 and permit the same to enter the joint members H. Obviously, as soon as the bars l3 have passed the lock bolts 21, the springs 30 will project said lock bolts 2'! in front of the bars l3 and thereby hold the body supports l3 in operative positions.

. The ends of the members of the toggle joints l7, outwardly of the pivot pins l8, are shaped to form cam surfaces 33 arranged to engage the lock bolts 21, at their outer ends, during buckling movements of the toggle joints I1, and move'said lock bolts into positions to release the bars I3 and permit the body supports l2 to be folded onto the chassis.

From the above description, it is evident that a person, by successively placing his foot under the toggle-joints H and pressing upwardly thereon, may buckle said joints and thereby fold the chassis, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 2. This buckling of the toggle joints I! will also automatically operate the latches 26 to release the bars l3 and permit the body supports l2 to be folded onto the chassis, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 1,

The

It is highly important to note that the latches 26 will permit the body supports l2 to be unfolded either before or after the chassis is unfolded. -In case the latches 26 have been released by the toggle joints I! before the body supports l2 are unfolded, said latches will be operated, as previously described, by the engagement of the cam surfaces 32 therewith and permit the bars l3 to pass the same.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that the invention described is capable of various modifications within the scope of the invention herein disclosed.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a folding chassis having a pair of separate and independent side members, an upright body support attached to said side members for folding movement upon itself transverselyv of the chassis and for bodily folding movement onto the chassis longitudinally thereof, of a toggle joint transversely connecting said side members, and latch mechanism for holding the body support in an operative posi-. tion, said toggle'joint being arranged to automatically release the latch mechanism during buckling of the toggle joint to fold the chassis.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the body support is constructed and arranged to automatically release the latch mechanism during movement of the body support into an operative position.

3. The combination with a folding chassis having a pair of separate and independentside members, a body support including a pair of upright members pivotally connected at their upper ends for swinging movement toward or from each other transversely of the chassis, the members of said body suplwrt being pivotally connected at their lower ends, one to each of said side mem bers for folding movement onto the chassis longitudinally thereof, of a toggle joint transversely connecting said side members, the members of the toggle joint being pivoted one to each of the members of the body support, and a pair-of latches for holding the members of the body support in an operative position, said toggle joint being arranged to automatically release the bers, a body support including a. pair of upright members pivotally connected at their upper ends for swinging movement toward or from each other transversely of the chassis, the members of said body sup-port being pivotally connected at their lower ends, one to each of said side members for folding movement onto the chassis Ion.- gitudinally thereof, of a toggle joint transversely connecting said side members, the members of the toggle joint being pivoted one to each ofthe members of the body support, and. a pair of latches for holding the members of the body sup} port in an operative position, each latch includ-;. ing a spring-projected lock bolt normally extending in the path of movement of the respective member of the body support, the members of the toggle joint having cam surfaces arranged to 6, The structure defined in claim in which the members of the body support have cam surfaces arranged to engage the lock bolts during movement of the body support into an operative position and move the lock bolts out of the paths of movement of said members.

'7. The combination with a folding chassis having a pair of side members, each side member having at one end a channeled joint member, a body support including a pair of upright members pivoted at their upper ends for swinging movement toward or from each other transverse- 1y of the chassis, the lower end portions of the members of the body support being mounted in the joint members and pivoted thereto for folding movement onto the chassis longitudinally thereof, a toggle joint, the members of the body support being connected by the toggle joint, a spring-projected lockbolt mounted on each joint member and holding the member of the body support in said joint member against pivotal movement, the members of the toggle joint having, on their ends, cam surfaces arranged to engage the lock bolts and retract the same during buckling movement of the toggle joint to release the member of the body support in the joint members.

7 support to enter the joint members.

9. The combination with a folding chassis having a pair of side members, each side member having at one end a channeled joint member, a body support. including a pair of upright members pivoted at their upper ends for swinging movement toward or from each other transversely of the chassis, the lower end portions of the members of the body support being mounted in the joint members and pivoted thereto for folding' movement onto the chassis longitudinally thereof, a. toggle joint, the members of the body support being connected by the toggle joint, a keeper member on each joint member and extending transversely over the channel therein, a lock bolt slidably mounted in the keeper member, and a spring cap on each lock bolt and slidably mounted in the joint member, a coiled spring compressed between the spring cap and the joint member, said lock bolt normally extending in the path of movement of the member of the body support in said joint member, the members of the toggle joint having on their ends cam surfaces arranged to engage the lock bolts and retract the same during buckling movement of the toggle joint to release the members of the body support in the joint members.

10. The structure defined in claim 9 which further includes cam surfaces on the lower ends of the members of the body support arranged to engage the lock bolts, during movement of the body support into an operative position, and retract said lock bolts to permit the members oi the body support to enter the joint members.

' JULIUS ANDREW MAHR. 

